Chapter 2: The Unbreakable Bond
662 Words
The magical chain between them refused to fade.
A ribbon of blue and gold light circled Lira Thornvale's wrist before winding around Kael Ashthorne's like living fire. Every few seconds it pulsed, reminding them that the ancient magic of the Ember Crown had no intention of letting them escape one another.
Lira had already tried.
Twice.
The first attempt nearly threw Kael into the lake.
The second sent them both tumbling into the mud.
Kael brushed dirt from his jacket and sighed dramatically.
"I've fought mountain trolls with better manners."
"You deserved worse."
"I probably did."
She frowned.
He wasn't arguing.
That somehow made him even more irritating.
Morning mist drifted through the forest as competitors gathered for the second trial. Dragons unfurled massive wings overhead while witches whispered protective spells. Werewolves paced the edges of the clearing, their sharp senses searching for danger.
An elderly dragon stepped onto a stone platform.
"Yesterday, creatures long believed extinct returned."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Shadow wolves should not exist."
Lira exchanged a glance with Rowan, who stood among the werewolves. His ears twitched uneasily.
"They're back," he whispered.
"And that means something woke them."
The dragon elder continued.
"The second trial has changed."
A wave of uneasy silence followed.
"You will journey into the Moonwood Caverns."
Gasps echoed through the clearing.
"The Crystal Heart hidden inside must be retrieved before sunset."
Lira's stomach tightened.
Everyone knew the caverns.
Few entered willingly.
Fewer returned.
The entrance yawned like the mouth of some ancient beast.
Blue crystals glowed from the cave walls, casting ghostly light across the stone.
Kael lit a flame in his palm.
"Stay close."
"I don't need protecting."
"No."
He smiled.
"But I don't feel like dragging your unconscious body out of here."
"I'd haunt you."
"I'd deserve it."
She blinked.
Again.
No argument.
Who was this dragon?
They ventured deeper.
The air grew colder.
The glowing crystals slowly changed from blue...
...to crimson.
Lira stopped walking.
"Do you hear that?"
Kael nodded.
Children laughing.
Somewhere in the darkness.
Soft.
Echoing.
Impossible.
"There aren't children here," he whispered.
The laughter stopped.
Then a little girl's voice drifted through the cavern.
"Lira..."
Her heart nearly stopped.
No.
It couldn't be.
That voice...
"Mama?"
Lira's breathing became uneven.
Kael grabbed her arm before she could walk toward the darkness.
"Don't."
"She needs me."
"No."
His grip tightened.
"The cave is inside your mind."
"But I heard—"
"So did I."
His golden eyes darkened.
"It isn't real."
The cavern showed each traveler what they longed for most.
Lira saw her mother smiling in a field of silver flowers.
Kael saw his older brother standing beside a fire, alive and waiting.
Neither illusion spoke.
They simply smiled.
Inviting them closer.
One more step...
The bond around their wrists blazed with brilliant light.
The visions shattered into smoke.
Lira fell to her knees.
Tears slipped silently down her face.
Kael looked away, pretending not to notice.
After several moments he quietly offered her a hand.
She hesitated.
Then accepted it.
For the first time...
Neither pulled away quickly.
Hours later they reached the heart of the cavern.
A crystal the size of a carriage floated above an underground lake.
Moonlight somehow poured through the ceiling despite the mountain overhead.
"It really exists," Lira whispered.
Before either of them moved—
A deafening roar shook the cavern.
Stone rained from above.
A creature emerged from beneath the water.
Its scales shimmered like polished silver.
Its wings stretched nearly the width of the cavern.
Its eyes glowed with ancient intelligence.
"A moon dragon," Kael breathed.
The dragon lowered its enormous head.
"You seek the Crystal Heart."
Its voice echoed directly inside their minds.
"Only those united may claim it."
Lira and Kael answered together.
"We're not united."
The dragon almost seemed amused.
"No."
It rumbled softly.
"But you're becoming something far stronger than enemies."
The Crystal Heart flared with dazzling light.
The trial...
Had only just begun.
- Writer
